{"id":24404,"date":"2019-03-18T17:12:01","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T22:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=24404"},"modified":"2019-03-18T17:23:22","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T22:23:22","slug":"todays-nascar-stars-piling-up-milestones-that-will-lead-to-legendary-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/18\/todays-nascar-stars-piling-up-milestones-that-will-lead-to-legendary-status\/","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s NASCAR stars piling up milestones that will lead to legendary status"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – What a fortunate time to be a NASCAR<\/a> fan.<\/p>\n

In just the past five years, the sport has crowned its third seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and on Sunday celebrated only its second 200-race winner, Kyle Busch.<\/p>\n

As achievements so often are, NASCAR\u2019s Modern Era triumphs are judged in history by their precedent and the esteem doled out accordingly. And of course, there are new specific twists and competitive hurdles each of those drivers overcame to meet their certain future Hall of Fame-worthy mark.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who won a record five consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series titles from 2006-2010, tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt\u2019s championship win total with his seventh championship in 2016.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, celebrate after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 and winning his 200th NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway on March 17, 2019 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Busch won his 200th NASCAR national series race on Sunday at California\u2019s Auto Club Speedway \u2013 a win total equaled only by Petty, who won all of his 200 races at the Cup level (first all-time). Busch\u2019s triumphs include 53 Cup wins (11th all-time), a record 94 Xfinity Series wins and a record 53 Gander Outdoors Truck Series wins.<\/p>\n

Matching a sacred number and putting a new twist on the historical data is something that should be celebrated. The impact and nuances of statistical accomplishments in the sporting world are popular topics of debate. The work to achieve these milestones, however, is absolutely non-debatable.<\/p>\n

Johnson, for example, won his titles under \u2013 or perhaps despite of –  an ever-changing championship formula that varied from earning the most points through a Playoff system to advancing through Playoff knockout rounds and ultimately prevailing in a one-race all-or-nothing season finale.<\/p>\n

Busch collected his 200 trophies in a combination of NASCAR\u2019s top-tier series and competing against highly motivated drivers \u2013 a description of his competition that did not vary whether it was a Gander Outdoors Truck, Xfinity or a Monster Energy Series race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always leery when people ask,” Busch\u2019s team owner NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, celebrates by placing the Winner’s Sticker on his car with his wife Samantha and son Brexton after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 and winning his 200th NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway on March 17, 2019 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople will say, \u2018who is the best?\u2019 all that kind of stuff. I\u2019m always leery of that because there\u2019s been so many great drivers in NASCAR through history that have built this sport. I noticed Kyle said the same thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do know he\u2019s unusual. He\u2019s got a real gift. As a part of that, there\u2019s a determination and a competitive attitude he has that you just don\u2019t find very often. Because of that, I think he\u2019s accumulating all the wins that he has.”<\/p>\n

As with Johnson, Busch has been humble and reverent in the inevitable discussions and debates leading into last weekend\u2019s historic opportunity. Part of what distinguishes his personality is his candor, spirit and confidence. And who could begrudge that as he now creates a new statistical marker of greatness.<\/p>\n

Petty was 46 years old when he earned his 200th victory (in the 1984 Daytona summer 400-miler) and retired eight seasons later at the age of 54. Busch is 33 years old \u2013 he turns 34 in May – and intent to add to number 200 as soon as this weekend\u2019s Truck and Cup series races at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.<\/p>\n

Listening to Busch speak about specific, impactful wins he\u2019s earned, it\u2019s apparent that he is simultaneously proud and humbled by the path of his career.  As much as he is pausing to reflect on what he\u2019s done, Busch is equally as eager to think about what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody asked me about whether or not I was the greatest of all time,” Busch said Sunday after celebrating in Victory Lane. \u201cI’m never going to self-proclaim that.  That’s for others to debate. LeBron James is really good in basketball, so is Michael Jordan. Arguably, which one or the other, could be the greatest of all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this day and age now anymore with how many eras we’ve been through in racing, basketball, football, whatever, if there is truly a greatest of all time? I think there’s obviously greats. I would just like to be attributed or in that mix of the top five, top eight guys. I think by the time I’m all said and done, I could be in the top two or three of those guys of greatest of all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s going to be really, really hard to exactly pinpoint how you can define ‘greatest’ when that time comes.”<\/p>\n

Busch has always acknowledged his 200 is different from Petty\u2019s 200. Johnson\u2019s seven titles were won under different regulations than Petty\u2019s or Earnhardt\u2019s.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s ALL good.<\/p>\n

Actually, it\u2019s ALL great.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn different eras, there’s so many different things,” Busch said. \u201cJimmie Johnson, he should be the GOAT, the greatest of all time. He won the most championships in the most different ways of having to win a championship, in the most different cars he had to be able to drive to win races.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore 2004, it was always the whole season was the champion, right? Now we had the 10 race Playoff, now we have three, three, three, and then one. Unfortunately for me I’ve made it to the final four the last four years and only won it once.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many comparables, not every single one person is going to have every single one of them, right? This guy has this, this guy has this, that guy has that. I think that makes it to where you can’t always say there’s the greatest, but there’s greats.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the future, Johnson has absolutely no imminent retirement plans only an eighth Cup championship plan. And Busch acknowledged this weekend, he\u2019s hoping to see that 200 number spin up quickly and often. Ultimately the sport will be the true beneficiary of all their hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing close to 100 [wins] in Xfinity, that’s what I said I’d quit at,” Busch said. \u201cThe Truck stuff, [my win total] being in the 50s, I’d love to be able to continue on with that, race my trucks. I like that, working with my guys, my team, my company.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the Cup side, as well, too. Somebody asked me, is 100 a number? Sure, we’ll set the next number on the Cup side at 100 [wins].<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s going to be hard to get there, no question about that. You might as well set your goals high, go out there and strive to achieve.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – What a fortunate time to be a NASCAR fan. In just the past five years, the sport has crowned its third seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and on Sunday celebrated only its second 200-race winner, Kyle Busch. As achievements so often are,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":24324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-24404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-6lC","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ACS_MENCS_KyBusch_WinnerSticker_031719.jpg?fit=4164%2C2776","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24405,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24404\/revisions\/24405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}